"So? Is this enough for you?" Hades said, his laughter echoing through the garden, jolting all those present back to reality.
"You…" Lysander said, his teeth clenching in rage.
"Are you backing out of your words?"
"The bet is off. You swindled me!"
"Such petty excuses, are you even a man?" Hades said mockingly
"Shut up! There is no way you have never cultivated before." Lysander barked as he unsheathed his sword. "Now, give me your spear or things will get ugly."
He was prepared to attack, when a voice echoed through the garden.
"Stop it, Lysander. He is telling the truth."
Lysander froze, his face growing paler. He immediately sheathed his sword again, and turned around to meet the owner of the voice. "M-Master…" He bowed respectfully to the man, and then continued. "You don't have to worry, this is just a small bet between me and him ."
The man glanced at Lysander, and then turned to Hades. He scurried his gaze over his body, and smiled.
"What's your name, young man?"
Hades frowned, feeling irked by the man's stare. He could tell that unlike Lysander and his group, this man was quite powerful, even comparable to some of the Greek heroes—albeit the weakest ones.
"Hades," He answered curtly.
"Truly an exotic name."
All it took was one glance to tell that Hades didn't seem to be from around here. Not only was his appearance quite distinct, but his clothes and mannerism too.
After a long second of tense silence, the man finally spoke again.
"I'm Loringar, the leader of this place, and you now are one of my disciples."
Hades frowned, now realizing where Lysander and his group's arrogance came from.
"I'm a very solitary person and prefer to act on my own." He instantly refused.
"I think you misunderstood something. I'm not giving you any options."
"Are you threatening me?"
"Yes, I am." Loringar answered coldly, releasing his spiritual pressure.
Hades gritted as the spiritual energy weighed down on him. The feeling was quite suffocating, as if his body weight had just increased several fold. However, he was still able to endure this much.
Loringar, on the other hand, grew even more determined in subding Hades. The sheer display of willpower that he showed was enough to prove his worth, and Loringar was not looking to let such a gem escape him.
The stalemate soon came to an end, as Hades lifted his hands and let out a long sigh. "Fine…"
"You made a good choice, young man." Loringar said, his lips curling into a sleazy smile, and retracting his energy. "You may resent me now, but sooner than later you will attract the attention of some powerful master and move to bigger and better things."
Hades cursed inwardly, furious and outraged by such humiliation. It had been aeons since he last felt this way, maybe only when his father had eaten him, but even that felt less degrading, after all his father, Chronos, was a mighty titan while the man was just a lowly human.
"Dexton, take Hades to a room and settle him. I will personally teach him tomorrow." Loringar said, waving his hands and turning back to his study.
Hades snarled at the man, staring at his back with glaring eyes. He vowed deep in his heart to repay such humiliation ten fold. Yet, he knew that for it he would have to bide his time.
He turned to Lysander and his group, all standing there frozen with shocked faces. The last few minutes seemed like some sort of fever dream."What are you standing there for? Didn't you hear his words?" Hades barked.
Dextn swallowed dry, finally recovering from the shock. He glanced at Lysander, who held a bitter expression on his face, wondering what to do when he spotted Sayr leaving the garden in silence.
"Hmm… Right! Sayr, take him to a room." Dexton said, pushing all the responsibilities to the youngest in the sect.
"W-What? Why me? Master told you to." Sayr rebuked, also feeling that hanging around Hades would spell trouble.
"Just shut up and do it. Want another beating?"
Hades snickered at the scene, amused how everything in this place seemed to revolve around strength. The weak were pushed around, and only those with strength were spared some dignity.
Sayr glanced at Dexton, his hands trembling, and just as he was about to relent, Hades spoke up.
"Didn't you hear his words? You will be the one to take me there." Hades said, striding towards Dexton with a cold stare.
Taken aback by Hades arrogant attitude, Dexton screamed. "Hmph! Who do you think you are? You barely joined and think you can boss me around?"
Hades stopped in front of Dexton's face and laughed. The first thing he needed to do was set the hierarchy straight, and for that he would need to be rough. Of the four men, Lysander was by far the strongest, then it was the man called Ryd, who seemed to be around the same level as Lysander, just a bit weaker.
Then it came Dexton and Sayr. The two were almost equals, and with laughable amounts of Spiritual Energy on their bodies. Hades was sure that with pure physical power alone, he could handle any of them, but if they all joined he wouldn't have much of a chance.
"Dogs don't bark at their owners." Hades murmured, clenching his fists and letting out a punch towards Dexton's stomach.
Dexton felt his guts churn as Hades' fits connected. The punch packed quite a bit of power, sending Dexton hurling to the ground, and gasping for air.
"What the fuck did you just do!" Ryd bellowed, rushing towards Hades with a furious expression.
Hades' eyes turned cold, and thrust the butt of his spear at the man's head. Surprised, Ryd tried to sidestep the attack, but Hades dashed forward, and sent out a kick at his left knee.
A shrill and painful sound of bones breaking echoed through the garden. Ryd fell to the ground, clutching his left leg and wailing in pain. His leg was now turned into a grotesque angle, and the bones of his thigh showed through the wound.
"You sure are having fun, aren't you?" Lysander mumbled with a serious expression.
"Wanna join in?" Hades laughed.
Lysander snarled, and turned to his injured companions. He was calm on the surface, but deep down he felt quite terrified. His Master, Loringar, had already confirmed that Hades had never cultivated before, and even so the man had enough strength to deal with both Dexton and Ryd.
Of course, Ryd's defeat had much to do with his carelessness. However, Lysander now caught himself wondering if he could defeat Hades.
"Don't think that you can do whatever you want just because Loringar dotes you." Lysander mumbled, putting Ryd on his shoulder. "You should really watch your back from now on." He continued before leaving the garden through one of the many doors of the Ringfort.
Hades watched as Lysander left with an amused expression. He could feel the fear and doubt in the man's voice, and it was truly delightful. He truly wanted to continue tormenting them, but Sayr, the only one left to take him to his living quarters was trying to silent escape once again.
"Don't even try it." Hades said, turning to face the scaredy-cat youngster.
Sayr turned, his face visible pale. He opened his mouth, but not a single word came out.
Haudes laughed heartily, wondering how such a cowardly man had joined a group of warriors. He approached the boy with calm steps, and flashed a soothing smile. The boy seemed to be at odds with the rest of the members, and Hades wanted to make use of it.
"It seems that you're the only one left to guide me."
"Hahaha. It seems so." Sayr said, looking fearfully to the ground.
"Oh? There's no need to be afraid. I won't harm you—unless you make me." He said, patting the young man's shoulders.
"O-Okay…" Sayr spoke, finally lifting his head and glancing at Hades.